


The Perfect Present

by Lithal



Series: Genderbent Haikyu!! [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/F, Fem!Everyone, Genderbending, Getting Together, What is Plot?, Why Did I Write This?, Why the hell not?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 10:44:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16973118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lithal/pseuds/Lithal
Summary: This was supposed to be a very short fic, but got out of hand. There is no real plot; I just wrote whatever. POVs alternate between Asahi and Nishinoya, which is why how other characters are addressed is different.Changed some first names:Daichi - JunAsahi - HikariEnnoshita - ChihiroTanaka - Hotaru





	The Perfect Present

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a very short fic, but got out of hand. There is no real plot; I just wrote whatever. POVs alternate between Asahi and Nishinoya, which is why how other characters are addressed is different. 
> 
> Changed some first names:  
> Daichi - Jun  
> Asahi - Hikari  
> Ennoshita - Chihiro  
> Tanaka - Hotaru

“Noya-san,” Hotaru said after practice, when they were cleaning up. Jun-san had tasked them with the cleanup because they had been way too loud and rowdy that day. In their defence, Suga-san had told them about the team Secret Santa and New Year’s party she had planned, and they hadn’t been able to help themselves from being excited. Team parties were the best. Particularly when Secret Santas worked out in one’s favour. She wasn’t sure why Hotaru had been so excited; maybe her own excitement had also inspired her friend.

“Yes?” Nishinoya asked, raising her eyebrows at Hotaru in question.

“Who did you get for the Secret Santa?”

“Isn’t the whole point of a Secret Santa to keep it a secret?” Nishinoya said, giving Hotaru a look, but she could feel the smile growing on her face. “I got Hikari-san.”

“That’s so cool, Noya-san!” Hotaru said excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. “You can make it super special and ask her out.”

“That’s the plan,” Nishinoya replied happily. “I’m pretty sure Suga-san rigged the Secret Santa. I glanced at Hinata’s slip and it had Kageyama on it. Suga-san is trying to play matchmaker, I bet.”

Nishinoya was dumping the last few balls back where they belonged when Chihiro appeared, looking unimpressed. “What’s taking you two so long? Are you gossiping again?”

“Chihiro!” Nishinoya said enthusiastically. “Why didn’t you go home?”

Chihiro’s eyebrows rose so high they were in danger of disappearing. “Did you forget about our study session tonight? Don’t you have a test  you need to pass?”

And just like that, all the happiness from earlier that day dissipated. Nishinoya grimaced. “Can you just write it for me?” she pleaded.

“No,” Chihiro said bluntly. “You’re going to study, and you’re going to pass the test. And then you can plan what you want to do to convince Hikari-san to go out with you.”

“Man, does everyone know about that?” Nishinoya asked.

“Everyone except Hikari-san, Kageyama, and Hinata,” Chihiro said. “Kageyama and Hinata are too focused on each other and on volleyball to notice anything else, to be honest.”

“But what about Hikari-san?” Nishinoya said with a pout.

Chihiro shuddered. “Ugh, please don’t make that face again. It looks weird on you. Let’s go. I don’t have all day for you two.”

“So cold, Chihiro,” Nishinoya said cheerfully, following her out of the gym, with Hotaru following close behind.

 

* * *

 

“Hi-ka-ri,” Suga sang, attaching herself to Hikari next morning as they walked to the gym for practice. Jun walked next to them with a fond smile on her usually serious face.

“Suga, Jun,” Hikari said, after getting over the initial shock of being glomped by her friend. “Good morning.”

“Who did you get for the Secret Santa?” Suga asked, with a bright smile.

“Um,” Hikari said. “Nishinoya. Why?”

“Aww, how cute!” Suga said, clapping her hands. Jun rolled her eyes. “Now you can get her something special and make her really happy. Do you have any ideas?”

“Uh,” Hikari said. She had been thinking what to get for the little fiery ball of energy that was Nishinoya ever since getting her name for the Secret Santa, but had so far come up blank. She wanted it to be something that Nishinoya would like and also be able to use.

“I’m sure she’ll love anything you give her,” Suga said, encouragingly. Hikari wondered if there was another message hidden in that proclamation.

“Yes, but I still want it to be something nice,” Hikari said, twisting her hands. She didn’t know why she was nervous. Suga was right to some degree—even if Nishinoya didn’t love the present she got, she would loudly declare that she loved it, and probably give Hikari a hug that would have more strength than her tiny body suggested. Hikari felt her face growing warm.

“Hikari, are you blushing?” Suga asked, smirking. “Is there something you want to tell us?” She had now linked arms with Jun, who still had that fond look on her face that she very artfully hid when they were in anyone else’s presence.

“N-no, of course not!” Hikari protested weakly. Thankfully, they reached the gym and Suga didn’t have time to pester her for her blatant lie. Hikari quickly escaped into the gym, and was immediately pounced on by a very energetic Nishinoya.

“Hikari-san!” Nishinoya yelled in her ear.

“Good morning, Noya,” Hikari said, smiling at how much energy Nishinoya had so early in the morning. “I have to change now,” she reminded Nishinoya, who finally let go of her.

“Hurry up, senpais,” Tanaka yelled from the other end of the gym, her trademark maniacal grin on her face. All the other second and first years looked more fired up than they usually would. Only Tsukishima looked like she’d rather be anywhere else.

“Yes, yes, we’ll be there in a minute,” Jun told the underclassmen, heading to the changing room.

They were back on the court in a few minutes, being split into teams by the coach for a quick 15-point set to try some new moves they had been working on. Nishinoya was trying to set more often, and she always seemed to set to Hikari, which was flattering, but would probably also be very predictable in a game. Hikari would have to talk to her about it.

“Azumane!” the coach yelled, startling Hikari and making her miss her serve. “Get your head in the game! Are you daydreaming?”

“S-sorry, coach,” she said, wishing she could hide her flaming face behind her hair. Unfortunately, she had tied it back for practice.

“Don’t mind, Hikari-san! You’ll get the next one!” Nishinoya yelled. Hikari shot her a grateful look and was rewarded with a wide grin. Their next match was against Nekoma, and they would have to go all out if they wanted to win. Jun had told the team that Nekoma’s third years had stuck around for this final tournament, which meant that their scarily intense libero and their scheming captain were both going to be playing in the match. Hikari didn’t like Nekoma’s captain much, with her catlike grin and sketchy persona.

Practice went very well, in Hikari’s opinion. Nishinoya’s setting was getting steadily better, and she was able to spike the balls more often than not. Nishinoya’s excitement at every successful spike was contagious, and Hikari found herself smiling throughout practice.

 

* * *

 

On the last day of school before winter break, coach announced that they had been invited to a special weekend-long workshop in Tokyo, where they would get to practice with old rivals and with other teams they hadn’t played with before. Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Hinata got really excited at this and started yelling so loudly that Jun had to smack all of them to get them to calm down enough to listen to the rest of coach’s speech.

Since the workshop was in Tokyo, they would be leaving that night so they could rest up before the workshop began. Coach gave them two hours to go home, pack, and get back to school. Hikari didn’t need a lot of things, so packing took only a few minutes and she was the second one back, Nishinoya being the only member who had beat her to it.

“Hikari-san!” Nishinoya said, bouncing over to her with her giant gym bag. “You’re back so soon!”

“I didn’t have a lot to pack,” Hikari told her. “Why don’t you put the bag down? Isn’t it heavy?”

“Oh,” Nishinoya said, blinking at the bag as if she had forgotten about it. “I’ll just put it down when I get on the bus. Do you think we’ll have time to go exploring in Tokyo?”

“Maybe,” Hikari offered. If they did get time, she might be able to find something for the Secret Santa in Tokyo. She wondered who Nishinoya had got, and hoped Nishinoya wouldn’t ask her who she had because she was a terrible liar and wouldn’t know how to change the subject.

“I love your new hairstyle,” Nishinoya said suddenly.

“Oh,” Hikari said, taken aback. She flushed. “T-thank you, Noya,” she said, self-consciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She hadn’t expected Nishinoya to even notice the change, since her new hairstyle wasn’t much different from her old one.

“Can I sit with you on the bus?” Nishinoya asked next, staring at Hikari expectantly.

“Yes, of course,” Hikari said. “What about Tanaka?”

“She’ll sit with Chihiro because the Captain told us not to sit with each other because we get too loud. Can you believe it?” Nishinoya said with a pout. It was adorable.

“Jun wasn’t wrong about that,” Hikari said with a giggle that prompted Nishinoya’s pout to be replaced by a big grin. She was about to say something when the coach and Takeda sensei arrived with the bus they had probably borrowed from one of the alumni again. The other members also started to arrive shortly after, and Nishinoya bounced over to Tanaka and Ennoshita while Suga and Jun joined Hikari.

“Suga, what is in that bag?” Hikari asked, eyeing her friend’s very large and very full bag.

“She had to pack extra towels, extra clothes, and even extra shoes,” Jun said, rolling her eyes.

“Hey,” Suga said. “I also packed extras for _you_ because you didn’t want to do it yourself,” she added.

“Yes, yes, you’re the best. Don’t be mad,” Jun soothed her. “C’mon, let’s get on the bus before the kids steal the good seats. I’m going to take a nap.”

“You better not drool on me,” Suga warned, climbing in. Hikari followed them and slid into a seat near the back. The first years came aboard next, and paired off like they always did: Hinata and Kageyama, and Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. Tsukishima didn’t look thrilled about the workshop, but she hadn’t complained yet, so Hikari assumed she just looked like she hated everything even if she didn’t hate it.

Nishinoya was the last one on the bus, and she took the empty seat next to Hikari. “I’m excited for this camp. I hope we learn a lot and then kick all of their asses,” she said, pumping her fist in the air.

“Or we could make some new friends,” Hikari suggested.

“That too, I guess,” Nishinoya agreed cheerfully. “We can make new friends _and_ kick their asses.”

Hikari smiled. Takeda sensei looked in the back to make sure everyone was on the bus, and then they were off. Surprisingly enough, Nishinoya didn’t speak much once the bus started. Instead, she leaned her head comfortably against Hikari and fell asleep. She even snored a little, which Hikari found absolutely adorable. She glanced over to see Suga staring at her with a knowing smirk, Jun asleep on her shoulder. Hikari raised her eyebrows in question and Suga shook her head before pulling out her phone and typing something. Hikari’s phone buzzed with a text from Suga.

_So cute._

Hikari rolled her eyes at the text and replied with an unimpressed face emoji.

* * *

 

“Noya, wake up. We’re here,” Hikari-san’s gentle voice said, and Nishinoya opened her eyes, looking around blearily. The bus had stopped and people were getting off.

Nishinoya couldn’t believe she had slept through the _entire_ bus ride. Granted, she had apparently leant against Hikari-san, but her plan had been to talk to her and not just sleep on her. She was annoyed at herself for the missed opportunity. She could have wheedled out some clues about what her present for the Secret Santa should be.

Still sleepy, she got up and walked out of the bus, following whoever was in front of her. Chihiro glanced back at her with a frown. “Noya, where’s your bag?” she asked.

Nishinoya blinked and looked down at herself, as if doing that would make the bag appear. She must have left it in the bus. She turned around to go get it, but the bus was gone. Before she could tell Takeda sensei what was happening, she spotted Hikari-san carrying two bags instead of just one, and recognized one of the bags as her own. She sprinted to her.

“Sorry, Hikari-san. I’ll take my bag now. Thanks for bringing it out,” she said, taking the bag from her.

“No problem,” Hikari-san said with a slight smile. “You still seem a little sleepy. Maybe you should sleep early tonight.”

Nishinoya puffed out her chest in indignation. “Sleep early? Hikari-san, how could you even suggest that?” she asked, feeling betrayed. “I’m not a first year anymore!”

Hikari-san looked a little confused. “I know,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t need sleep.”

“I’m not sleepy anymore,” Nishinoya declared.

“Okay,” Hikari-san said.

Jun-san shook her head. “You might still want to get a decent amount of sleep tonight. Tomorrow’s going to be very intense. Got it?” she said sternly. Her tone booked no arguments.

“Yes, Captain,” Nishinoya said, giving her a salute. “How are the sleeping arrangements going to work?” she asked, curiously.

“About the same as always. We get two rooms this time. You and Tanaka with us in one room, and the first years are with Ennoshita in the other,” Suga-san explained.

“Can’t have you and Tanaka firing them up at night,” Jun-san added.

Nishinoya was slightly disappointed that she wouldn’t be with the underclassmen, because it was fun when Hinata got fired up with her and Hotaru, but she was also pleased that she would be in the same room as Hikari-san.

“Now, shoo,” Suga-san said good-naturedly.

Nishinoya complied and scampered off to join the others.

 

* * *

 

As soon as Nishinoya was out of earshot, Suga turned to Hikari and grinned in a way that put Hikari on guard. “So, have you figured out what you’re going to get her?” Suga asked.

Hikari shook her head. “Not really. I was hoping we’d be able to explore a bit and I’d find something here. I don’t know if that’s going to happen though.”

“I asked Kuroo to show me and Suga around tonight,” Jun said. “You can join us if you want. I think Bokuto’s going to join us, and maybe Akaashi, but that should be it.”

“Sure, I’ll go,” Hikari said. “When?”

“After dinner,” Jun said. “I already got permission from Takeda sensei and coach. They said not to tell the underclassmen. Well, their exact words were Tanaka and Nishinoya, but you get what I mean.”

“Don’t tell them,” Suga said.

“I won’t!” Hikari said. “You sound like you don’t trust me.”

“You’re a wimp,” Suga said easily. “If Nishinoya asked, you would tell her everything.”  

“Hey,” Hikari protested. She couldn’t argue, though.

The three deposited their bags in the room assigned to them, and then headed to the dining hall, where the other teams were already gathered and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

 

* * *

 

Nishinoya had finished piling her plate high with food when she spotted Hikari-san standing with a pair of twin guys from some random team, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else. Rolling up imaginary sleeves, Nishinoya walked over to insert herself in the conversation.

One of the guys had opened his mouth to say something when Nishinoya spoke loudly and cheerfully, “I was looking all over for you! Captain wants to talk to you!” She waved her arms for emphasis, careful not to drop any of her food, and then stared at the guys. “Who are you?” she asked them sharply. She wanted them to know she would fight them if they tried to bother Hikari-san.

“Hi there,” one of the twins said. “Aren’t you a little young for this workshop?”

“Watch it, bud,” Nishinoya said, drawing herself to her full height. “I’m older than you.”

The guys looked unconvinced, and Nishinoya was getting ready to fight when Hikari-san put a hand on her shoulder. “We should head back and see what the captain wants.” She smiled awkwardly at the guys and steered Nishinoya firmly away. “Noya, you looked like you were ready to fight,” she said reproachfully.

“ _You_ looked like they were bothering you, Hikari-san,” Nishinoya said, frowning at her. “Were they?”

“Uh,” Hikari said. “Well, they kind of startled me and one of them asked me for my number. But then you showed up so I didn’t have to give it to them.”

“Were you going to if I hadn’t shown up?” Nishinoya asked, still frowning.

“Um, I didn’t really know how to refuse,” Hikari admitted, not looking at Nishinoya.

“Hikari-san,” Nishinoya said, frustrated. “Just say no if you don’t want to give out your number. Or if you don’t want to say that, say you’re in a relationship.”

Hikari-san hummed, still not looking at her. “And if someone still keeps bothering you, tell me and I’ll kick their asses!” Nishinoya declared, jutting her chin out. At this Hikari-san finally looked at her, but she didn’t look like she believed her. “You don’t think I can beat people up?” she asked. If she hadn’t been holding a plate full of food, she would have folded her arms across her chest as she glared at Hikari-san, who blinked at her.

“Who are you beating up this time, Nishinoya?” Jun-san asked severely. “Do I need to apologize to someone on your behalf? Again.”

“No, no,” Hikari-san said quickly. “She was offering to defend me if someone bothers me.”

“Aww, that’s adorable,” Suga-san said, and Nishinoya preened at the praise.

Jun-san didn’t look impressed. “Suga! Don’t encourage her! The last thing we need is Nishinoya getting into brawls while presumably defending Hikari’s honour.”

Suga-san looked unaffected by the captain’s concerns. “You have to admit it’s cute, though. Nishinoya’s like Hikari’s knight in shining armour,” she said, ruffling Nishinoya’s hair. “Well, you enjoy your dinner, okay? Us third years are going to scope out our opponents’ strategies,” she added smoothly, grabbing Hikari-san’s wrist and dragging her along them to wherever the third years from the other schools were.

 

* * *

 

“That was so obvious,” Jun told Suga as Suga dragged them both along in search of Kuroo. Once they heard the obnoxious laughter, she was easy to find, and soon Jun and Kuroo were shaking hands with looks on their faces that spelled murder. Bokuto stood nearby and yelled encouragement, for some reason, as her vice captain looked on, methodically emptying a very full plate of food.

“What are they doing?” Hikari whispered to Suga, who ignored her in favour of cheering Jun on. The handshake seemed to reach a stalemate, and the two grudgingly let go of each other’s hands. Kuroo then laughed her loud laugh again.

“You’ve gotten better,” she said. Then she turned to Hikari with a devious smile. “Hello, Azumane-san.”

“Hi,” Hikari squeaked. Something about Kuroo intimidated her. It was probably her height and scary expressions. She gave off an aura that seemed to say that she could beat people without them even realizing it. It was ridiculous, because Hikari knew she was more laid-back than she appeared, and also had a very dorky side, from the stories Jun told her and Suga sometimes.

“We can go as soon as you’re all done eating,” Kuroo said. “It’s going to be all of us third years, plus Akaashi, because she doesn’t trust Bokuto to not be a dumbass.”

“Kuroo-san,” Akaashi said. “I don’t trust either of you to not do something stupid. And since Kozume-san refused to come with us, I will have to keep an eye on both of you.”

Hikari looked at Kuroo to see what her reaction to this would be, but Kuroo just laughed. “Oh, man, you’re hilarious.”

“Kozume-san is eighty percent  of your impulse-control, Kuroo-san,” Akaashi said. It was alarming at how fast she had cleaned her plate of food.

Kuroo looked offended. “I’d say seventy-five,” she corrected with a sniff. Their friendly back-and-forth put Hikari at ease, and she relaxed. Suga noticed and gave her a huge smile.

As soon as they were all finished eating, Kuroo led them all out and they headed to wherever the shops were. Hikari supposed they wouldn’t know if Kuroo was actually taking them to a mall or if she was leading them to their doom. Since Akaashi and Bokuto were also familiar with Tokyo, she figured at least Akaashi would say something if their route was strange. Unless she was also in on it. Then they were doomed.

“Hi-ka-ri,” Suga’s voice cut into her thoughts. “Are you imagining oddly specific and negative scenarios again? Don’t worry, Nishinoya will protect you.”

Hikari felt her cheeks grow warm, and was glad it was too dark for Suga to see the blush. “Stop,” she said. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

“Nope,” Suga said sweetly.

“So, what are you all looking for?” Kuroo asked, as they approached the shops. “Presents for yourselves? Significant others? Family?”

“Well,” Suga said. “We’re doing a team Secret Santa.”

“Aww, that’s so cute. Was it your idea, Suga-chan?” Kuroo asked. Hikari could not tell if Kuroo was mocking Suga or if it had been a sincere compliment.

“Yes, it was. You should do one with your team,” Suga said.

Kuroo shrugged. “It’s kind of late for that, but we’re all going out for barbeque during the break,” she said. “Sawamura, you should add Suga-chan to the group chat.”

“Group chat?” Hikari asked.

“Oh, Bokuto, Sawamura, Oikawa, and I have a group chat. I’m still not sure why Oikawa’s in it. But anyway, we basically just shitpost on it,” Kuroo explained.

“Why am I not part of this already, Jun?” Suga pouted.

“Because you’re not a captain,” Bokuto said. “But we should change that rule and add all the third years. Azumane too.”

Kuroo snorted. “Oikawa’s going to kill us if we say we should add all the third years, after all the shit she’s posted about ‘Iwa-chan.’ I never thought I’d know as much about them as I do. Anyway, if  you’re looking for presents for a secret Santa, this is a good shop to start.”

The shop she had brought them to was a cute little gift shop which should definitely have lots of good present ideas. They walked in, and were greeted by a friendly old lady at the counter. Suga immediately dragged Jun away towards the shelf of books in a corner, and Kuroo edged towards gag gifts. Bokuto seemed really taken by all the sparkly stuff, and Akaashi just followed her. Hikari started at one end of the shop, planning to browse until inspiration struck. Since Nishinoya was basically a ball of energy, Hikari headed to the section with the funny gifts, where Kuroo was examining something that apparently stank, judging by her wrinkled nose. She looked up as Hikari joined her.

“Hello,” Kuroo grinned. “Getting a present for a prankster? Let me guess. It’s either Tanaka or the tiny libero of yours,” she said, peering into Hikari’s face. Whatever she saw there made her grin even wider. “Ohoho? I see it’s the libero,” she said.

“H-how?” Hikari stammered, eyes wide.

Kuroo airily waved a hand. “I am psychic, didn’t you know, Azumane-san? Do you want help picking a present?” she asked. “I don’t know much about your libero except that she’s a spitfire.”

“Um,” Hikari said. “She loves action movies and four-character idioms.”

“I’m not surprised,” Kuroo said. “I don’t think you’re going to find either of those here, though. What about a nice cap? Does she wear caps? Or piercings. Does she have those?”

“She has a few ear piercings,” Hikari said. Nishinoya had shown up at school one day with multiple ear piercings, and had gotten a talking to from the principal, but had never bothered to remove them, and eventually the principal just gave up on her.

“What about some jewellery, then?” Kuroo suggested, gesturing at a display case.

Hikari considered the jewellery in the case, but most of it was sparkly, which didn’t seem like something Nishinoya would wear. Disappointed, she moved on to the few caps on display, and was immediately drawn to one which said “one man army.”

“That is so perfect,” Jun commented. Suga was flipping through a book. “Nishinoya is going to love it.”

“I hope so,” Hikari said, wondering if she should also get something else. She glanced at the book Suga was reading. “You seem like you like that book a lot,” she commented.

Suga didn’t seem to hear her. Jun shook her head. “Looks like Bokuto’s found a bunch of things she wants to buy,” she said, eyebrows raised. Hikari followed her gaze, and saw Bokuto with her arms full of little things. Akaashi looked like she was trying to get her captain to put some of them back. Kuroo stood laughing nearby.

“Time to go?” Kuroo called, catching Jun’s eye. “Or are we going to wait for Suga-chan to finish reading?”

“You can go ahead and pay, we’ll catch up with you,” Jun said. Then she turned to Suga and removed the book from her hands.

“Jun!” Suga protested.

“Are you getting anything?” Jun asked her. Suga shook her head. “Okay, then  you should go ahead with the others. Hikari and I will join you.”

“Sure,” Suga said, and walked off.

“Are you getting something?” Hikari asked.

Jun pulled a book from the shelf and held the one she was still holding up. “These.”

“That’s sweet,” Hikari said, smiling at her friend.

“You’ll have to carry them for me, though. I want it to be a surprise,” Jun said.

“Of course,” Hikari said.

The two paid for their things and Hikari walked out of the shop carrying everything. The others were waiting outside, and Bokuto was pouting. Akaashi must have been successful.

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi was saying. “You did _not_ need two cans of fart slime. You didn’t even need one.”

“But it’s fun,” Bokuto said plaintively.

“Hey, Bo, let’s go get some snacks,” Kuroo suggested. “There’s a new cappuccino flavour at this place I know. Haven’t tried it yet.”

Bokuto perked up. “Yes! I want snacks,” she said.

“We’ll get the snacks. You all can go on. Just text me where you are,” Kuroo said, looking back at them with a grin before dragging Bokuto away. Akaashi stayed behind.

“Is there somewhere in particular that you would like to go?” she asked them.

“Not really,” Jun replied. “You can pick. We’re fine with whatever.”

“There’s a makeup shop I want to go to,” Akaashi said. “Shall we go there?”

“Yup,” Suga said. “Works for us.”

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Hotaru,” Nishonoya said after dinner, when they were heading to their rooms. “Why don’t we go out and shop in Tokyo?”

“Oh, for the presents?” Hotaru asked.

“Duh,” Nishinoya said. “It’s such a great opportunity. We can get one of the second years from Nekoma to take us somewhere.”

“That’s a great idea!” Hotaru agreed enthusiastically. “I’ll ask Yamamoto.”

To Nishinoya’s delight, Yamamoto agreed to be their guide and sneak out to shop. They met her outside her room, and then confidently strutted off campus, making sure none of the teachers saw them.

“Where are we going?” Nishinoya asked. “I need to find the perfect present for Hikari-san.”

“Hikari-san?” Yamamoto asked.

“Our ace!” Hotaru explained.

“Oh,” Yamamoto said, finally putting a name to the face. “What kind of present?”

“I’ll know it when I see it,” Nishinoya declared.

“Do you know where to start?” Yamamoto asked. “There’s a lot of shops here.”

Nishinoya deflated a little. She knew what kind of clothes Hikari-san wore, but she couldn’t be sure of the sizing, so clothes weren’t an option. She wore makeup sometimes, but since Nishinoya only wore eyeliner, she wouldn’t know what would go well with Hikari-san’s complexion or what she liked. Maybe a nice necklace would be a good present.

“Jewellery, maybe? I don’t know much about makeup but I can pick out good eyeliner. Maybe wearing some bold eyeliner will help her confidence,” Nishinoya said.

“I know a good makeup shop,” Yamamoto said. “My sister loves dragging me along to make me buy things for her.”

“Let’s start there, then,” Hotaru said. “I want to get some lipstick for myself, too. Two birds with one stone.” 

The shop was pretty big, and had a huge collection of makeup. Nishinoya was distracted by all the metallic eyeliner on display, but she got a feeling Hikari-san wouldn’t want to go with something so bold the first time she wore eyeliner.

“Oh my god, isn’t that the captain,” Hotaru hissed in her ear, pointing. Nishinoya looked over and saw Jun-san, which meant that Suga-san was probably also nearby. A quick scan of the surroundings revealed Hikari-san, and the setter from Fukurodani. They had to make sure the third years didn’t see them. But Nishinoya also wanted to know what they were doing here. It didn’t look like they were scoping out rivals. As Nishinoya stared at them, the Fukurodani setter looked up and saw them. Since they weren’t in uniform, Nishinoya hoped she wouldn’t recognize them.

Nishinoya quickly retreated out of her line of sight, pulling Hotaru and Yamamoto along. “They’re all here,” she hissed to them. “I also think that Fukurodani setter saw me. Hopefully she won’t tell our senpais.”

“Do you want to leave, then?” Yamamoto asked.

“No,” Nishinoya shook her head. “Split up and avoid getting too close to them. Hopefully they’ll leave soon.” She was wearing a hoodie, so she pulled up her hood to avoid being recognized. Yamamoto and Hotaru nodded and went off in opposite directions. Nishinoya perused the eyeliners and settled for a classic black one for Hikari-san, and a metallic blue one for herself. As she was browsing the other collections, she caught Suga-san’s voice. They were apparently standing on the other side of the display.

“You’re getting the lip-balm, then?”

“Is it no good?” Hikari-san asked in response.

“No, no. I think it’s very sweet and she’ll love it,” Suga-san said reassuringly. “I didn’t think you’d get her two things, to be honest.” Nishinoya suddenly felt jealous of whoever was going to get not one but two presents from Hikari-san. Did she have competition she was unaware of?

“I really hope so,” Hikari-san said. She sounded nervous, and Nishinoya jealousy intensified. It was followed by a stab of anger. Whoever it was had better love the presents Hikari-san was going to get her, or Nishinoya was going to find her and yell at her.

She whirled around, eyeliners in hand, and came face-to-face with Nekoma’s captain, whose startled look melted away as a creepy grin spread on her face. “Ohoho, what do we have here?” she said.

Nishinoya considered making a run for it, and then considered punching her and making a run for it, but settled for glaring at her instead.  

“Don’t look so scary,” Kuroo-san said. “I’m not going to tell. But you better run before they see you themselves.”

Nishinoya nodded and made her escape, heading for the jewellery section, because apparently this shop had one of those as well. Since none of the third years were nearby, she relaxed, and began perusing the necklace collection. One of them caught her eye in particular; it was a silver necklace with a volleyball pendant. She looked at the price. It was a little expensive, but it was almost Hikari-san’s birthday, so it would make a nice birthday present. Happy with her selection, she headed to the checkout. She hoped these presents would put a smile on Hikari-san’s face.

 

* * *

 

When they got back, Hikari was tired, and she quickly stuffed her purchases in her bag to keep them from the second years’ prying eyes. She was going to wrap them as soon as she got home, but for now they would have to live among her clothes.

Hikari took a quick shower and changed into her pajamas, and found that the second years still hadn’t shown up to the room, which meant someone was going to have to go looking for them.

“Hikari. Could you go look for the second years and tell them it’s bed time?” Jun said.

“Me?” Hikari asked, surprised.

“Yes, you. Do you see another Hikari around here?” Jun said flatly. “Go be the senpai you’re supposed to be.”

“They’re not going to listen to me,” Hikari protested. “And I don’t even know where to find them.”

“Figure it out. As  your captain, I’m delegating this task to you,” Jun said, settling in her sleeping bag.

Sighing, Hikari got up and pulled on a sweater. She didn’t know where they could be, so she tried the other room first. She knocked on the door and slid it open. The first years were asleep already, surprisingly. Ennoshita was sitting on her sleeping bag, tapping away on her phone. She looked up at Hikari and blinked. Then she came to the door.

“Do you know where Noya and Tanaka are?” Hikari whispered.

Ennoshita shook her head. “I haven’t seen them since dinner. They might be creating a ruckus with Yamamoto. Nekoma is in rooms nine and ten.”

“Thanks,” Hikari said, and carefully slid the door shut. Taking a deep breath, she headed to room nine and was just about to knock when she saw a group of three people running down the hallway. “Noya? Tanaka?” she called out to them. They halted in their tracks. The third person kept walking and gave Hikari a polite smile before slipping into room ten.

“Hikari-san!” Nishinoya said, shoving something in her pocket.

“Where were you two?” Hikari asked with a frown. “Jun is going to yell at you. Have you showered?”

“Not yet,” Tanaka said. “Is there still hot water left?”

“Probably. You should hurry up and get to bed. It’s getting late,” Hikari said, trying to be stern. She was relieved they were okay.

“We’ll do that right now,” Nishinoya said brightly. “You can go ahead and sleep, Hikari-san. We won’t do anything stupid, I promise.”

Not entirely reassured but feeling sleepy, Hikari nodded and went back to their room.  

 

* * *

 

The camp was a great experience, and everyone came out of it wiser and tougher. It was surprising how much one could learn in a day. Nishinoya had a great time working on her setting and getting tips from other players. Yaku-san was especially helpful about giving her tips about being a libero, and she even managed to get her number this time. Kuroo-san had laughed when that had happened, but Nishinoya didn’t know what she had found so funny. She was a strange person, and couldn’t be trusted. Even though she hadn’t told on the second years for going shopping on Friday night.

All too soon, it was time to go home. Nishinoya double-checked her bag to make sure the presents were in there, and got onto the bus, sliding into a seat next to Hikari-san again.

“Hikari-san!” Nishinoya said. “I’m not going to fall asleep this time!”

Hikari-san laughed. Nishinoya loved her laugh. “Really? You were out like a light last time.”

“I’ll stay awake, you’ll see,” Nishinoya declared, and then stifled a yawn.

“Are you sure?” Hikari-san said, gently teasing.

Nishinoya nodded vigorously, and pulled out her earphones on a whim. “Do you want to listen to my playlist?” she asked.

“Oh, sure,” Hikari-san said, taken aback.

Nishinoya settled back in the seat and pressed play, and felt Hikari-san startle next to her.

“That was…intense,” Hikari-san said, referring to the music. Maybe Nishinoya shouldn’t have started with metal.

“Are you getting presents for a lot of people?” Nishinoya asked next. She hadn’t been able to forget that there was someone who was getting two presents from Hikari-san, and she burned with the desire to know who it was and what she could do to be like her.

“Not really,” Hikari-san replied. Nishinoya’s sharp eyes didn’t miss the faint blush on her cheeks. She didn’t want to think about the implications of that. She would have to plan everything right, now that she definitely had competition. She spent the rest of the ride trying to figure out the best way to outdo her competition and win Hikari-san over.

 

* * *

 

“Hikari, you’re coming over to help us decorate my place for the party, right?” Suga asked Hikari the day before the party.

“Of course,” Hikari replied, even though she had plans to bake cupcakes for the team. Maybe she could do that today.

“You don’t sound enthusiastic about it,” Jun said, with her most passive-aggressive smile.

“I was going to bake cupcakes for the team, but I can do that today,” Hikari explained.

“For the _team_ , eh? And not because a certain tiny ball of energy loves cupcakes?” Suga asked, wagging her eyebrows. “What flavour?”

“Red velvet,” Hikari mumbled, blushing.

“Definitely for the _team_ ,” Jun said.

“Stop, you two,” Hikari said. “I could just not bake them if you don’t want any.”

“No, no. I love cupcakes too. Just not as much as our Guardian Deity does,” Suga said with a smile. “Be at my place at five tomorrow.”

 

* * *

 

“Did you wrap the present yet?” Hotaru asked Nishinoya as they played video games at Hotaru’s house before the party.

“Of course I did,” Nishinoya said.

“Did you bring it?”

Nishinoya paused. “Shit,” she said, remembering that she had left them on the desk in her room. It was almost time for the party. “I’m going to have to run home and get it.”

“You going to make it in time?” Hotaru asked.

“I sure as hell am going to try,” Nishinoya said, jumping up and pulling on her jacket. “I’ll see you there.”

She ran home as fast as she could, and huffing up the stairs to grab the present she had carefully wrapped. She had made good time, and wouldn’t need to run as hard on her way to Suga-san’s house. It probably wouldn’t matter if she was late, but she wanted to impress Hikari-san, who was probably already at Suga-san’s house, helping with the decorations.

Before she could leave, her mom stopped her and demanded she give her a hand with cleaning up. Knowing it was useless trying to argue with her mother, she helped as fast as she could, but it still took much longer than she had wanted. As soon as they were done, she ran out of the house, barely hearing what her mom yelled after her. It was a fair distance to Suga-san’s house, and she was tired and sweaty and very late when she got there. Not the condition she had hoped to be in, she thought as she wiped sweat out of her eyes. Right before she could step on the driveway, something crashed into her, hard, propelling her to the ground. She threw out her arms to protect her face, and the impact jarred the present out of her hand.

Dazed, with her hands stinging, she pulled herself to her feet, and looked at the present, which looked crushed. The asshole who had crashed into her hadn’t even stopped to apologize or make sure she was okay. Angry and upset, she hurried to examine the present, but the person had likely just ridden right over it, crushing the box under the weight of a bicycle.

Flushed with anger and embarrassment, sweaty, hurt, and upset, Nishinoya stood in the middle of the sidewalk, trying to compose herself. She didn’t know how long she had stood there when the front door opened and someone stepped out.

“Nishinoya?” Hikari-san asked, voice full of concern.

Despite her best efforts, a sob escaped her.

“Are you okay?” Hikari-san said, sounding alarmed. She was by Nishinoya’s side in a flash, peering at her face. “What happened to your hands?”

Nishinoya sniffed, trying not to let the tears escape. Her face was probably red, and Hikari-san seeing her like this wasn’t helping at all.

“Okay, let’s get you inside,” Hikari-san said, gently steering her towards the back door. Nishinoya was grateful for that; the last thing she wanted was for the entire team to see her about to break down crying like a baby. Once they were in the house, Hikari-san led her to the kitchen sink and washed her hands to get the grit off them. “What happened?” she asked again, looking very concerned.

“I had to run home to get your present because I forgot it and then someone crashed their bike into me and now the present’s ruined and I’m a mess and of course I don’t have any chance of impressing you now,” Nishinoya said in one breath, the tears starting to flow in earnest.

Hikari-san said nothing, and pulled Nishinoya into a warm hug. She didn’t seem to mind that she was sweaty and that tears were soaking into her top.

“Now you just feel sorry for me,” Nishinoya mumbled into Hikari-san’s chest.

Hikari-san pulled away just a bit at that and looked at her. “Nishinoya, I’m just glad you’re okay and you didn’t get hurt worse than this.” She gently wiped away stray tears from Nishinoya’s face, and smiled at her.

“I wanted today to be different,” Nishinoya said, still upset. “I had a present I wanted to impress you with, and—and I wanted to do something to make you notice me and forget about whoever you got two presents for.”

“What?” Hikari-san said, confused. “I’m sure I would’ve loved the present, Noya. It’s not your fault it was ruined.”

“But now you’ve seen me crying like a baby and you won’t ever want to go out with me!” Nishinoya blurted out, her eyes welling with tears again.

Hikari-san made a sound like a startled gasp. “But I do want to go out with you,” she said.

Shocked, Nishinoya stared at her. “And not with the special person you bought two presents for?” she asked. She didn’t want Hikari-san to say yes to her out of pity.

“Two presents?”

“I was there at that shop in Tokyo, when you were talking to Suga-san. You said—you said you hoped the person you were getting the presents for would like them,” Nishinoya said, not looking at Hikari-san.

“Oh,” Hikari-san said, and then she laughed. “Noya,” she said, “those were for you, you silly goose.”

Nishinoya stared at Hikari-san. “I was jealous of myself the whole time?”

“It looks like it, doesn’t it?” Hikari-san said.

“So does that—does that mean you’ll really go out with me? On a date?” Nishinoya asked hopefully.

“Yes!” Hikari-san said. “I’d love to.”

All hurt and disappointment forgotten, Nishinoya threw her arms around Hikari-san’s neck, and Hikari-san helped out by hoisting her up so Nishinoya was looking down at her in delight. “Does that mean we’re girlfriends now?”

Hikari-san laughed her tinkling laugh and nodded. “If you’ll have me.”

Nishinoya grinned and did what she had been dreaming about for almost a year: she kissed her girlfriend.


End file.
